Candidates and aides line up to run in primary elections

Candidates and campaign staffers filled more than a block of sidewalk Monday as they played out an every-two-years ritual – the start of petition filing for a new campaign season.

Bernard Schoenburg

* Read the list of the most recent candidates to file

Candidates and campaign staffers filled more than a block of sidewalk Monday as they played out an every-two-years ritual – the start of petition filing for a new campaign season.

Dan White, executive director of the Illinois State Board of Elections, said about 60 members of his staff conducted run-throughs to prepare for the onslaught of petition-filers once the doors opened at 8 a.m. Monday.

“It’s like game day,” White said. “You get up for it.”

The line outside the elections board’s door at 1020 S. Spring St. went north to Scarritt Street, turned east at the corner and went past an alley halfway up the block.

Any candidate whose petitions are in line by 8 a.m. the morning of opening day gets into a lottery for first position on the Feb. 2 primary ballot. Those arriving after 8 a.m. are placed on the ballot in order of filing.

The final deadline to file is 5 p.m. next Monday.

“We wanted to be at the front of the line to show that we’re serious and look forward to the race,” said Carbondale Mayor Brad Cole, a GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, who had placeholders keeping his spot near the door since Sunday afternoon. “For a downstate candidate – somebody who doesn’t have a lot of name ID – ballot placement is certainly going to be helpful.”

Warmer weather

State Rep. Art Turner, D-Chicago, also running for lieutenant governor, praised the commitment represented by the volunteers who held a place for him and other Democrats near the front of the line.

But he also noted it was easier to be in line this year. In many years past, filing didn’t open until sometime in December.

“Ordinarily, you’re freezing to try to get inside this door,” he said.

Turner also was accompanied by his son, Art Turner II, a law student running for his father’s seat in the House.

“He just met one of his opponents,” the elder Turner said.

There might be a smaller rush in the minutes before filing closes, White said.

“People jockey for the last position as well,” he said.

Studies differ, but in races with large numbers of candidates and low name recognition, many experts believe good ballot position helps.

First in line Monday was a group that had watched over more than 100 sets of petitions from Democratic candidates, mostly for seats in the Illinois House.

Tim Mapes, executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois, said members of his team staked out the top spot on Saturday.

“We like to be No. 1,” he said. “Just that. It’s real simple.”

Mapes is also chief of staff to House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, who chairs the state Democratic Party.

Trooper marks the spot

Eugene Carpino, director of operations for the House Republican Organization, campaign arm of the House GOP, was right behind the Democrats in line. Ten or 12 people from his group took shifts holding the spot, he said.

“We were planning on (starting) Sunday morning,” Carpino said. “Then we saw them (the Democrats) there.” So the GOP group joined the line about 5 or 6 p.m. Saturday. Since anyone in line by 8 a.m. Monday had a chance to be first on the ballot, the only pain caused was “just pride,” he said.

Next time, however, “We’ll be here a little earlier,” Carpino said.

The 8 a.m. deadline was enforced when State Trooper Mindy Carroll marked the spot at the appointed hour.

Dennis Middendorff, an associate judge from Carlyle running for a circuit judgeship in Clinton County, was the final person to line up ahead of the trooper.

“I came up for the show,” he said, a large umbrella shielding him from a drizzle that started shortly after 8 a.m. “As far as I know, I’m running unopposed.”

So why was the trip worth it to get in line?

“I’m a political science junkie,” he said.

Just behind Trooper Carroll was Verne Dentino, a Peoria lawyer who is running for circuit judge. He had driven from Peoria Monday morning, but trying to find a parking place made him just miss the deadline.

“I had to drive five blocks that way,” he said.

Bernard Schoenburg can be reached at 788-1540.

Governor filings

Some statewide candidates filed their petitions personally Monday at the Illinois State Board of Elections in Springfield. Others had staffers do it or put out other campaign announcements.

Former Attorney General Jim Ryan, who intends to seek the Republican nomination for governor, had a spokesman email reporters a link to a FaceBook statement. The statement said “unprecedented response from volunteers across Illinois” means Ryan will file at least double the 5,000 signatures required. He expects to file next Monday, the statement said.

Andy McKenna, former chairman of the Illinois GOP, sent a news release with his announcement schedule. He has appearances set today in Chicago and Rockford and at Knight’s Action Park in Springfield.

In line themselves Monday were four GOP gubernatorial candidates: state Sens. Bill Brady of Bloomington and Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom and Adam Andrzejewski, a Hinsdale businessman. Dan Proft of Chicago did not file Monday.

A little-known Democrat, William “Dock” Walls of Chicago, filed his own petitions for governor. Petitions were filed on behalf of Democratic incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn and Comptroller Dan Hynes, also going for the top spot.

“We want to be the first name that people see,” Walls said from his place near the front of the line. “We want to be the real choice.”

Sangamon County

Filing for local elections also began Monday at the Sangamon County Complex.

Among those filing were the four incumbent Republican officeholders.

County Clerk Joe Aiello and Regional Superintendent of Schools Helen Tolan were among a handful of filers as the door opened at 8:30 a.m. Later in the morning, Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson and Treasurer Tom Cavanagh each filed petitions for their re-election efforts.

Stacey Kern, director of elections for the county, said there will be no lottery for county ballot positions because there was no primary contest in which more than one person filed at 8:30 a.m.

Studies suggest it's better to be higher on a ballot

Some studies bear out the intuitive notion that top ballot position is worth extra votes.

Brian Gaines, professor of political science with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, pointed to a study that used date from at-large city council elections in Peoria from 1983 to 1999.

The study, done by David Brockinton of the University of Twente in The Netherlands, was published in 2003 in the journal Political Behavior.

It found that being listed higher on the ballot delivered an advantage of 0.7 percent to 5.2 percent of the precinct-level vote per ballot position.

“There was a bonus for being higher on the ballot of roughly between 1 percent and 5 percent,” Gaines said.

Brockinton’s “mean estimate is a 2.3 percent decline with each spot,” Gaines said.

He said the study was carefully done, and the details are complicated, because cumulative voting was used in some years.

“My bottom line is that I think being higher up probably has a small advantage attached, and it is non-linear in the sense that (the) top spot is much better than second,” Gaines said.

Another study using data from Ohio in the 1990s was in a “spookily similar range,” Gaines said. That study also found that a higher ballot position was worth 1 to 5 percent more than the next lower ballot position, with a 2.5 percent bonus for being first, he said.

-- Bernard Schoenburg

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